California Road Trip

[concretejungle]

Planning a road trip with kids next October (ages 10 & 7). Rough plans is as follows:

Fly in to San Francisco - 4 nights
Drive to Yosemite - 4 nights
Drive to Monterey - 2 nights
Drive to Santa Maria - 2 nights
Drive to LA - 4 nights (incl Disney, perhaps Legoland)

We've got a bit of flex in terms of the overall duration and the number of nights in each place. The must do's are SF, Yosemite and LA, but Monterey and Santa Maria we're flexible on.

Has anyone done this or similar, and is there anything you'd change?

Decent but good value family accommodation recommendations welcome too!

That is one hell of a lot of driving and it is very easy to underestimate driving distance s and time taken to reach destinations. You could all too easily spend most of your holiday time driving from place to place by zig zagging across the state.

I would check ASAP to see what accommodation is available for Yosemite as it is very popular.

Why Santa Maria?

Legoland is nearer to San Diego than LA so would give that a miss. I would stick to Disneyland and Knotts berry farm which is located in the city of Buena Park.

I would consider cutting out the drive betwee SF and LA and fly between the two cities instead. You need to bear in mind that CA as a state is about the same size in terms of area as the UK. You have two weeks and you are trying to pack an awful lot in.

First, one night in SF then drive to Yosemite which in October may be pretty dismal, and 4 nights is too long. From there, drive to Las Vegas for 2 nights. Go over the Hoover Dam. Then drive to Santa Barbara or somewhere on that coastline. Drive back up PCH1 through Big Sur and back to San Francisco for 2 more nights before flying home.

Concrete. Sound a fab. I'm doing very similar but only 9 days. (2 yosemite and 2.5 in San Fran). I've previously gone LA so we're planning on driving straight to Santa Barbara, Dan Louis Obispo, Pacific grove and then go yosemite. We've booked half dome village. In yosemite.

Actually, you must also go to the Grand Canyon!

You must see the Grand Canyon. Also where are you staying? When we were in California a few years ago we drove up to Las Vegas and spent two days there. We also did hikes as a family. Careful planning is a good idea. We had lots of picnic lunches and meals out. How old are the children? You might also want to allow some free time to explore the local area leisurely too. A few days were spent strolling around and visiting the shops and restaurants in the area.

I wouldn't do Yosemite then cross country to Monteray. I've done both but on different t trips - we did mountains one time ( Yosemite and Sequoia)and coast another. Monteray was a disappointment to be honest I'm in no hurry to go back ever.

Personally in October I would do more desert so maybe fly into Vegas and do Zion Bryce Grand canyon, Palm Springs, San Diego and fly home from LA.

Or fly into San Fran, Yosemite, Sequioa, and fly home from LA. Weather might be cold and miserable in the mountains in Oct though.

If it were me i would stick south and deserts - I love the desert though.

I did something similar.

San Francisco 3 nights
Yosemite 2 nights (its boiling in summer)
Monterey 3 nights
Cambria 2 nights
Santa Barbara 1 night
Las Vegas 3 nights via the Hoover dam
Grand Canyon 2 nights
Barstow 1 night in the desert to break the journey
LA 3 nights - we loved the Griffiths Observatory, Universal pictures, and Venice Beach

I particularly loved Carmel (passing through) Cambria and the Grand Canyon but Vegas is quite a thing. (I've been to San Fran and Yosemite before). It was all quite an experience. San Diego is also good for kids but I couldn't fit it in.

Its a lot of driving but I've always done a lot of road trips and enjoy it. If I did it again I'd spend more time on the coast .

Oh and I'm a lone female driver....

We did almost exactly that trip (swapping out Santa Maria for Santa Barbara, which I love) and it was excellent.

We did it in October, and it was great. Not dismal at all - great weather for the most part, only Yosemite was a little brisk.

I don't think OP's distances are a huge amount of driving at all (I have driven some of those legs recently).
4 nights in Yosemite is too much for me, though. And I wouldn't find anything to do in Frisco.

ps: check when you need to book accommodation in Yosemite. Only camping doesn't book up completely many months in advance.

I agree about San Fran - it's not as cool a city as you'd expect and there's a lot of panhandlers - beggars and homeless. Not tons to see really - apart from ride the trolley, the Museum of Modern Art, Alcatraz, cycling through Golden Gate Park, wander through Haight Astbury. Yosemite is an astonishing landscape but really hot on the valley floor - at least 100-103C in July/ August and there's s lot of visitors. Accommodation is not great for the price. We cut our visit short at Yosemite and headed for the coast. From there on it was great....

Monterey aquarium is worth a visit, expensive but impressive. No dedicated parking but there are car parks nearby.

It was quite cold on the valley floor early mornings last year in early October, probably 4-7deg. C.

I wouldn't have a problem with those driving distances but personally I would find 4 nights in both SF and Yosemite too many and have others have said, you need to plan staying in Yosemite well in advance.

I like Monterey but there's not a lot too do besides the excellent aquarium. With kids that ages, maybe consider a night there and 1 in Santa Cruz with it's boardwalk and funfair.

Thanks so much everyone!

I'm beginning to think we will cut out the coast and focus on cities and national parks, as otherwise we might be trying to fit too much in.

We're very much hills / walking people (if we weren't going to Calafornia we'd be walking in the hills of the UK). The weather sounds ok to me, 4-7 degrees in the morning is fine with a jacket on!

Good advice on Yosemite accomodation. I want to sort out an intinerary, book the long haul flights and then get straight on to booking accomodation.

I'm now a bit stuck though. Not too fussed now about San Francisco given your feedback, although it feels like we kinda have to go to San Fran to get to Yosemite?. Definitely want to take kids to Disney, and generally just experience being in the states.

Couple of questions / options I'd welcome your input on...

1. We could fly in and out of LA and then at some point during the holiday take a few days to go to Yosemite - probably by flying to the airport nearest Yosemite and hiring a car for a few days?

2. Alternative is we fly to San Fran as planned but spend less time there (I had originally planned a few days partly to get over the jet lag!), and road trip to Yosemite, on to Sequoia then to LA.

3. Is there really only enough to do / see for 2 nights in Yosemite? Bear in mind we're outdoor / walking type people (kids included - ages 7 and 10), so hoped there would be enough for about 4 days? Any advice on how long to stay in Sequoia?

4. Is it worth trying to fit in San Diego?

Anything else I've not thought of? This is our first "big"holiday with the kids, so want to get it right!

I suppose I filled 4 days in Yosemite. Me+9yo DS did 9-10 hrs of hikes which were actually 4-6 hrs less than I wanted b/c I got injured. We probably spent 2-3 hrs/day on aspects of being campers, though. How do people fill their time if not camping? TV, I guess.

There were icicles near Vernal falls at 11am, and one morning DS wore every scrap of clothing he brought.

San Fran 8s one of my favourite US cities. I could easily spend 3 or 4 nights there. The drive to Big Sur via Carmel is one of the most beautiful places in the world. LA for the hike up to Griffin Observatory and the Observatory itself. Also, Universal Studios would definitely be on my list as well as Venice or Manhattan Beach.

What time of year are you going OP?

If you want to go to Yosemite than I'd fly in to San Fran and then out of LA or San Diego. We stayed in an Airbnb in San Fran and got around by trams or the tube but drove the rest staying mostly in hotels and motels elsewhere.

I personally think you'd miss something if you didn't hit the coast at all - see some Giant Sequioa, Carmel, Big Sur, Cambria, Hearst Castle, etc. But I guess you'd get a bit of it LA style at Venice Beach though not the beautifully wild element.

I loved universal studios (I'm not usually a theme parks person) but the bit round the studio sets is great fun as are the Harry Potter rides.

Also on tripadvisor there are message boards where they give you lots of travel advice and if you put up draft itineraries or have queries local experts will advise you. You can also compare your itinerary with other peoples' (and notes from their completed trips).

October next year.

Hmmm, I'm now thinking my original itinerary (maybe substituting Santa Barbara for Santa Maria) might be the best for us!

I guess there's just too much to do in too little time!

Definitely not going Vegas or Grand Canyon this trip. DH and I have done it before (and kids can do it without us when they are older!)

We did a Californian road trip a couple of years ago.

DH and I flew in to SF, overnight, then drove to Napa for three nights to chill. Then on to Yosemite (drama with our accommodation, so one night before, and one after). It was the weekend the Obamas were there, so pretty manic, but stunning.

Drove Las Vegas via Mammoth Lakes and Death Valley, and our DC flew in to meet us. Two days in Vegas (Brexit result came in while we were there!), then drove to Hoover Dam on our way to the Grand Canyon. Stunning. Lots of time in the car, but DH and the DC would have hated missing it - I'd been before.

Grand Canyon to Santa Monica, where we stayed for a few days, and then drove along the PCH to SF for our final four nights.

It was a LOT of driving, but we're used to it, and our DC are in their 20s, so it wasn't a problem with them. We all loved SF - cycled over the GG Bridge to Sausalito - fabulous day. Alcatraz - take it or leave it. Just loved the vibe.

Enjoy your trip!

I love San Francisco and would do that over LA but it’s all very personal.

Two days in Yosemite and two in Sequoia would probably work. Easier on the accommodation too. I preferred sequoia as it was less crowded so felt like better walking (plus we saw bears there).

I loved the wild coast line so would definitely include that. We saw seals, sea lions and dolphins if I remember correctly.

No kids here and DH and I aren’t really theme park people so I can’t offer anything helpful on Disney, etc.

I've been to Zion, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon etc in November and it was superb. If your ideal holiday is hill walking then I'd really focus on the national parks. They're incredibly busy in peak season and so much better when the weather is chillier.

I'd consider not staying in LA but maybe staying in Santa Monica on the Coast. Travel in or do a tour of the sites of LA,,its just a great big city and nothing special.

Just come back from a similar road trip myself! We did from 23rd August - 10th September. Started off in San Francisco, then made our way down to LA. Stopped at Monterey (not massively amazing, carmel by the sea is very cute and pretty though!), Pismo Beach and also stopped for a few hours along the way in Santa Cruz and Capitola (lovely!) Whilst in LA we stayed in Santa Monica. We had lunch in the Chateau Marmont (absolutely gorgeous!) And also stayed a night on the Queen Mary in Long Beach (super creepy!) We then headed inland towards the Canyon and stayed over in Lake Havasu City and Williams, Arizona. After the Canyon we went up to Utah to see Monument Valley and stayed in Canyonlands national park in a cabin near Monticello - this was absolutely gorgeous - we had a balcony overlooking a mountain with a hammock, and had deer outside the cabin! We then drove to Las Vegas through Zion national park (wish we could’ve stayed longer here!) We really liked Vegas, though I didn’t expect to! Hoover Dam etc well worth it too. After Vegas we went to Yosemite and then headed back to San Francisco again for our last few nights. Have to say San Francisco was my absolute favourite place as has already been iterated by many on here!